Kitsuki Castle Town
杵築
A castle town where samurai houses line two ridges with the merchant quarter between.
Opening hours and admission for this place have not been checked yet, so none are shown. Check the official site
Our guide
Kitsuki, in the south of the Kunisaki Peninsula in Ōita, was the castle town of the Matsudaira clan's Kitsuki Domain (32,000 koku) in the Edo period, and the political and economic centre of the peninsula until the domains were abolished. Its layout still shows the old town: samurai residences line two ridges, Kitadai and Minamidai, with the townspeople's houses in the valley between them. The samurai quarter was selected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 2017, and a mock keep stands on the old keep base of Kitsuki Castle.
We have not checked a public-transport route, so plan the journey on the map and look for local information before you go.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- Kitsuki City Hall — ja:user:Sinsyun · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Morie bay in Kitsuki, Oita — Twilight2640 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Yasakagawa river in Kitsuki, Oita — Twilight2640 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Kitsuki Honmachi Post office — Suikotei · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Oita Bank Kitsuki Branch — Suikotei · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Kitsuki City Shokokai — Suikotei · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Kitsuki City Kitsuki Elementary School — Suikotei · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Kitsuki Bus Terminal — Suikotei · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- 杵築市役所 — ほっきー · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
What this place is
Kitsuki, in the south of the Kunisaki Peninsula in Ōita Prefecture, was the castle town of the Matsudaira clan's Kitsuki Domain (32,000 koku) in the Edo period, and the political and economic centre of the peninsula until the domains were abolished. Samurai residences line the two ridges of Kitadai and Minamidai, with the townspeople's houses in the valley between them, a layout that still shows the old town. The samurai quarter was selected as a National Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 2017. A mock keep stands on the keep base of Kitsuki Castle.
Background text translated from Japanese Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Castle
Getting there
We do not have step-by-step transit directions for this spot yet. Open the location on Google Maps for routes from where you are staying.
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